Card shuffler and tray



A. J. MATTER CARD SHUFFLER AND TRAY Feb. 19, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 22, 1954 a c v. d I g 1 \Q v r 7 l in, 55M a k A a IN 1 'EN TOR.

Feb. 19, 1957 A. J. MATTER 7 4 CARD SHUFFLER AND TRAY Filed March 22, 1954 s Shets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

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Feb. 19, 1957 A. J. MATTER 7 2,782,040

CARD SHUFFLER AND TRAY Filed March 22., 1954 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INV TOR. W BY CARD SHUFFLER AND TRAY Albert J. Matter, Park Ridge, Ill.

Application March 22, 1954, Serial No. 417,544

8 Claims. (Cl. 273-149) This invention relates to improvements in card shufiler and tray and has for its object to provide a simplified means for shufliing playing cards consisting of two or more regular decks such as Canasta, Samba or Bolivia.

Another object is to provide this in the form of a card tray so that it will serve as a combination tray and shutfier which can be formed of molded plastic for the purpose of appearance, compactness, economy of manufacture and with a minimum number of moving parts.

I attain these objects by means of the devices shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the assembled tray, slide bar and pressing levers.

Fig. 2 shows a front elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 shows a side elevation of the tray, partially in cross section through the center.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the slide bar.

Fig. 5 shows an end elevation of the slide bar.

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a modified form of tray without a slide-bar or pressing levers.

Fig. 7 shows a plan view of the tray in Fig. 6.

Like numerals of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 7, it will be noted that cards are shown in place as being shuffled and by means of broken lines they are indicated in position for play.

At 1 is indicated a tray having inclined card supporting surfaces In which inclination tends to cause the lower adjacent corners of the cards indicated at 2:: to overlap before the upper corners while being shufiied. Side walls 1b are provided for limiting outward movement of cards when stacked on edge for shufiling and have stop shoulders 1c to support the card deck ends when pressed back.

1d indicates two upright slide-bar guides formed as part of the said tray 1. The rear of the tray at la is provided with a T-shaped upright portion serving to provide a backstop at 1k for cards being shuffled and also provides a nest for holding the rear corners of stacked cards in place while in play.

For shuffling, cards are stacked on edge as indicated at 2, half of the deck on one side and halfon the other side of the center. To press the cards back into shuffiing position pressing levers are provided as shown at 3, preferably curved for ease of operation and provided with handles 3a. Levers 3 have metal pins 4 extending therefrom downwardly into holes 1 formed in tray 1 as shown in Fig. 2. Pins 4 may be rigidly fastened in levers 3 and rotatably free in holes 1 or vice versa.

5 is a slide band adapted to slide back and forth in groove 1g formed between uprights 1d and has inclined card edge contacting surfaces 5a and beveled upper edge 5b for easier insertion of the cards as indicated at 2. Slide bar 5 is also provided with a handle end at 50, a lower. sliding surface 5d and guide fin 5e terminating in an ear 5 perforated at 5g to hold'a pin 6. Slide bar 5 is positioned in the tray 1 as indicated at 5h with its under surface 5d resting on a fiat center surface 1h formed along the center of tray 1 and with fin 5e slidably held 1 United States Patent 0 2,782,040 Patented F eb. 19, 1957 loading or playing position and in full lines in the positions they assume after pressing the cards out to the shuiiling position indicated at 2b.

In operation, with levers 3 in the broken line positions shown in Fig. 1, two groups of cards are placed on edge, and in a flat state, obliquely on opposite sides of the divider or slide bar 5; the divider being at the rear limit of its movement, with its rear end at Si in Fig. 1. At this time the cards take the form of the parallelogram 2 appearing in broken lines in the right half of the-tray in Fig. 1. Up to this time levers 3 were in the broken line positions shown in Fig. 1, but now they are swung to bring their curved, shoe-like parts into engagement with the cards. After such engagement has been effected the swinging movements of the levers is continued until they reach the full line positions, where they must stop. Since the outer ends of the cards are held back by stops 1c, the inner ends slide back along the slide bar and the cards are compressed into a compact arc. At the end of the movements of the levers the inner ends of the cards are still in engagement with the slide bar, although in Fig. 1 a few cards have already left the card separating end of the latter and have intermingled; this being due to the fact that in Fig. 1 the slide bar or divider has already been drawn forward from 5i to 5 broken lines 2b indicating the reannost cards prior to drawing the divider forward. As the slide is caused to move forward, one card after another, in each group is released and springs past the center to overlap a corresponding card in the other group.

Thus the work of stressing and releasing thecards comprises separate and distinct operations. The user may swing the levers as forcibly and as quickly as desired, because the cards can go no farther than the'rear end of the divider; and the cards are released upon the mere drawing forward of the divider.

This division of the work is important from another viewpoint. The stressing of the cards having been completed the curvature of the cards has been established the curvature of each card would become sharper than it was initially, as it approached the release; point. In other words, a tangent to any, card at the point of contact with the divider would beat varying angles to the divider as it approached the release point. In the instant structure this angle never varies and is the same for all cards so long as they have not been released. Therefore, by selecting the best angle, proper intermingling of the cards is ensured, because the angle does not vary and thus allow irregular rifiling. I

.When the groups of cards are small, a fairly good shuffle can be made even with change 'in the angle at which a card meets the divider at the release point. However, when the groups are large, the curvature of quite a few of the cards last to be released may be so sharp that the shuflle is spoiled.

After the cards have all slipped off at the front end of the retreatingdivider, they are removed from the tray and manipulatd to transform the two groups into a single group or pack; thereby completing the shuifie.

After shuffling, the tray may be used as a regular canasta or samba tray by placing the levers as shown in broken lines in Fig. l and stacking cards as indicated as sornetim esoccurs 'in crank and roller types.

3 at 2d. To indicate frozen discards, the freeze card can be placed as shown at 22.

I have discovered that for shuffling two regular card decks or less very satisfactory results. are obtained without a slidingcenter divider 'or leveis gas shown in the modified form in Figs. 6 and '7 wherein tray 1 isprovided with an integral dividing wall'll having an endlm .past which the cards can be presscd by hand .as shown in Fig.7 andthey will intermingle as indicated at 2c. This 'tray likewise can be used for play as well as for shufiling. Altho the tray show in Figs. 6 and 7 has a flat upper surface this can also be inclined" as shown in Fig.- Z'making it.easier to overlap the lowerrcorners.

Inthis 'typeof shufiier all cards after shuffling remain faced just'as placed. in. position and will not turnover The action is similar to handshuffiing in that it varies and is irregular in spacing of card groups depending on the actionof different individuals, the overlapping cards being 'either singles ,or groups of 2 or more and will vary from time to time with the same person. It however gives much'greater control of mixing and greatly simplifies ishufllingtwo or more decks at one time.

What is claimed is: 1.In a card'shuffler, a tray having thereon a central divider. movable. between a rearward limit and aforward limit,'with its rear end being a card separating end, card retaining walls on the tray. on opposite sides of the divider and having toward their rear forwardly facing stops, the

parts being so proportioned that when two groups of cards' are placed on edge between the stops and the divider they are oblique to the latter and contact the same at such a distance from said separating end that the cards ofeach group receive their final stressing when compressed rearwardly into a compact arc and all cards are stillengaged with the divider, whereby each card is automatically released upon moving the divider forwardy'and lever devices mounted on the front portion of the tray for movements adapted to press all of the cards into their final arc shapes before any card is released as aforesaid.

2."In a card shufllena tray having thereon a central dividenin the form of a slide movable between a rearward limit and a forward limit, with its rear end being a card separating end, card retaining walls on the tray on opposite sides of'the divider and having toward their divider, whereby'each card is automatically released upon moving the divider'forward, and means at thefront of and movable independently of the slide on the tray to press the cards rearwardly only far enough to create and maintain such are until released as aforesaid.

3. A card shuffler as set forth in claim 2, wherein the bottom of the tray contains a groove and the divider fits slidably in said groove.

4. A card shuifier as set forth in claim 2, having at the rear a central, stationarystop for the cards, such stop being spaced apart from the stopson the card retaining walls at least as far as the width of a card, so that the cards may be laidxfiat in. each. side of the tray with their long axes parallel .to or making a small angle with the divider and with "the cards protruding beyond a line connecting theqcentral stop with the corresponding stop on the said walls.

5. A card shufller as set forth in claim 2, wherein the means for pressing the cards rearwardly are movable between a rearward limit corresponding to the completion of the compact arc and a forward position clear ofcards lying flat in the tray parallel to the divider.

6. Ina card vshuifler, a tray having a central divider movable between a rearward limit and a forward limit, with the rear end being a card separating end, card retaining walls on opposite sides of the divider and having toward their rear forwardly facing stops, the parts being so proportioned that when two groups of cards are placed on edge between the stops andthe divider they are oblique to the latter and contact the same at such a distance from said separating end that the cards of. each group receive their final stressing when pressed rearwardly into a compact arc while so engaged with the divider, whereby each card i automatically released upon moving the divider-forward, a pair of levers mounted on the front portion of the tray, one on each side of the divider, for swinging movements about vertical axes, each lever beingshaped at one end to engage the cards while the other end constitutes a handle for operating the same.

7. A card shuffier as set forth in claim 6, wherein the levers may swing into idle positions so as to leave the area of the bottom of the tray behind them, clear of obstructions and thus permit cards to be stored in the tray or take various playing positions in the tray.

8. 'A card shufiler as set forth in claim 7, wherein there are stops on the tray to limit card pressing movements of the levers to the points at which the final stressing of the cards occurs.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITEDSTATES PATENTS 2,649,305 schoultz Aug. 18, 1953 2,676,020 Ogden Apr. 20, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 27,568 Great Britain Sept. 22, 1910 

